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BTLE Control

October 19, 2017, 7:05 am
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I'm experimenting with the Adafruit BTLE UART Friend (in Spin), but thought -- for fun -- I'd try a simple project in Blockly that corresponds to one of the demo control panels in the Adafruit Bluefruit LE phone app. This demo works with the color picker panel to set the colors on a string of WS2812 LEDs.

blockly_blte_rgb_control.jpg

Being a "standard" coder (Spin is my preferred tool), I still stumble around the Blockly environment a bit, but -- happily -- this worked the first time I tested it. The color picker sends a 6-byte packet. The first two bytes are "!C" (for color?) followed by red, green, blue, and a crc.

Protocol details for the color picker are here:
-- https://learn.adafruit.com/bluefruit-le-connect-for-ios/controller#color-picker

I've made the project public; the blocks are here:
-- http://blockly.parallax.com/blockly/projectlink?id=14218&key=3b63afce-d277-4d40-9f40-b768117e1932

Note: The mode switch on the module needs to be in UART and the CTS pin connected to ground for this to work.
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BlocklyProp account setup

October 26, 2017, 8:56 pm
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So I finally got around to taking a look at Blockly. First thing I needed to do was set up an account. Tried screen name "PhiPi." It was taken! Had I done this before? No se. But none of my usual passwords let me log in. So I created a new account. I'm rather disturbed that entering the necessary data to do so -- including passwords -- defaulted to an insecure form (i.e. no https). C'mon, Parallax! What's up with that?

After getting everything set up, I took a gander at the IDE. I couldn't find anything that supported the new servo w/encoder, so I thought it might be available in the community projects section. Migosh! It looks like everyone who ever started a Blockly project has their code up for the public to view. I'm not sure I like this. Actually, I'm sure I don't like it. Parallax, when will you have Blockly available as a completely local service that doesn't rely upon an internet connection?

Thanks,
-Phil
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Speed control of standard servo with BlocklyProp?

October 25, 2017, 2:22 pm
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I'm trying to familiarize myself with Blockly enough that I can help a group of students with it, so I used it last night to make a quick program for the ActivityBot roaming with a PING))) on a front servo bracket.

I can't seem to find a block that will allow me to control the speed that the standard servo sweeps the PING sensor back and forth. I can of course put a pause at the end of each arc, but that does nothing to slow the actual sweep movement in between 0 and 180 degrees. I'd like to slow it down a little so it gets a more accurate signal return.
Is there any way to implement speed control of a servo in Blockly? Or would I have to slow it down by decreasing the voltage to the servo?
Thanks!
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Extending range of XBee pro

October 8, 2015, 12:44 pm
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Hi,

I'm looking for advice or a link, to extend the range of Xbee pro. I've heard the term "Mesh", but no explanation how it works.

Background.
I have a tracking solar array controlled by an Arduino uno on the hillside behind my house 170 feet way. I have an XBee pro installed with the Arduino. I'm getting reasonable comms reception (on my laptop using a Xbee pro in a usb) from the upstairs bedroom closest to the hillside, but marginal reception anywhere else in the house.

I think I need to have some kind of mid point repeater and came across the term 'mesh' while searching, but could not find set up information.

Advice or links would be appreciated.

.....Dave
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adding i2c

November 20, 2017, 6:05 am
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Is there any way to simply add an i2c interface to Blocklyprop? Other than writing a very long function from scratch. I'm using the Flip.
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S3/BlocklyProp Exercises based on Standards of Learning - maybe crowd source?

December 5, 2017, 8:34 am
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Is anyone else working on mapping S3/BP material to their state SOL? My teachers have said that everything they do should support a specific SOL line item..

I've been writing exercises for specific SOLs but it has been slow. I pick a specific SOL item and then write an exercise with:
- directions to student
- notes for teacher
- extensions for faster students
- screen shots of solutions

Some I've done to date here (doc starts with verbatim copy of SOLs): https://sites.google.com/site/20171018s3g46l1nova/files-to-download

Any interest in crowd sourcing to get a few hundred exercises that are specific to SOLs? I could make a list of the wording for each SOL item. People on these forums could pick one and write an exercise. I volunteer to organize the whole thing and make it available to all of us.

- John
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S3 / BlocklyProp in Scratch Classes

December 5, 2017, 8:10 am
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I think an under-explored use of BlocklProp is for an excursion from Scratch. Scratch is common but the problem I see is that it is another hour of kids sitting in front of the screen. In my Scratch unit I have groups rotate out for a couple weeks to a table with S3's. After explaining how to use the client, I say BlocklyProp is like Scratch but with new blocks that are specific to hardware. Then I explain the difference between motion blocks that are a specific time/distance and those that continue until explicitly ended. Away they go.

Tip: Divide their S3 study into two levels of 3 hours each. Start them off with task of drawing traces using loops. Then level 2 go to tasks of sensing using branching. That order has worked better than starting with the enclosed poster of sensing projects. Using 2 short units gives me more flex for rotating people between Scratch and S3.

I have more materials and suggestions here that I use in my educator workshops at the community college
https://sites.google.com/site/20171018s3g46l1nova/
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OFFLINE version of BlocklyProp

January 28, 2018, 3:40 pm
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The other day, Ken posted on F/B an online pool, about an "OFFLINE version of BlocklyProp"!!!
Ken_blocky.jpg
Personally I found it awesome!
Does anyone especially from BlocklyProp developing team has any more information?
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Is there a way to import code?

February 9, 2018, 1:14 pm
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Is there a way to export blocks and import them to another program?
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Can or will the OLED Initialization block be modified to include Screen Rotation?

February 10, 2018, 6:42 pm
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This was somewhat touched on in an earlier post explaining why the Blockly OLED Init block only offers 5 parameters while in the code view there were 6, the 6th one being for which edge of the OLED was the top. Currently that value is locked at 2, the edge opposite the pins is the top. The Code view is read only and so cannot be changed.
Is there anything in the works to expand the Initialization block to 6 parameters? Or is the only way to import the code view into SimpleIde and make the change there? That would require an extra source code to be maintained.
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I'm trying to write to the PST from 2 COGs in Blockly.

February 23, 2018, 10:48 am
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Is this the right place to request an addition to blockly?

February 27, 2018, 9:59 am
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Must I specify SPI pins as hardwired pins numbers?

March 4, 2018, 2:16 pm
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When I use a shift out operator, can I not use a variable to specify the pin number?

If not, why not? I always thought that naming pin numbers is good programming practice.
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Issue with writing LCD in my function

March 5, 2018, 9:53 am
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If I initialize an LCD in my main program and try to write to it in a function, I get this 
Compile... Failed!

-------- compiler messages --------
Included libraries: simpletools
single.c: In function 'DispLCD':
single.c:54:13: error: 'debug_lcd' undeclared (first use in this function)
single.c:54:13: note: each undeclared identifier is reported only once for each function it appears in
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Jeopardy Style Game control

March 7, 2018, 11:57 am
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I finally got my school division to install Blockly Prop after several months of a long battle! YEAH!

So I have just started tinkering in Blockly Prop and started a student challenge to build a jeopardy style game running on a personally designed board similar to the Prop Activity Board. My boards have access to pins 5 - 27. (Other pins are tied to specific robot control aspects like xbee etc)

Essentially I want 3 buttons which each control their own LED. When any one button is pushed, the Led Lights up and Locks all the rest of the players out until the Teacher pushes a 4th (separate Button to reset the code)

I have the code for the button and the lockout going which didn't take long.

However, I have spent several hours trying all kinds of arrangements to "reset" or (Clear all the prior commands) so that the LED's go out and all push-buttons are ready to trigger their LED for the next question. I don't want the instructor to have to cut the board off and on every time a new question is asked.

QUESTION: IS THERE A WAY TO "RESET" ALL THE PUSHBUTTONS in an IF ...ELSEIF loop in Blockly when each button is assigned the "break"command when pressed?

Thanks for any light anyone can shed on this.


My code is in the link below.

http://blockly.parallax.com/blockly/projectlink?id=31158&key=3765acb7-ddf1-475c-8045-a6b2c6657f0e


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DS1302 Clock in Blockly

March 8, 2018, 2:05 pm
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Here is a pointer (I think) to a DS1302 clock in blocky. The time and date can be set using a couple of pushbutton switches. I will add daylight saving logic soon.
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How big is my BlocklyProp program?

March 14, 2018, 10:29 am
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Could some kind soul please explain to me how I determine how big my Blockly program compiles to?
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Blockly Does Trig

March 16, 2018, 9:17 am
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Here is a code snippet of an emulation of an analog clock on the little OLED. I include four photos around 9:00.

It is noteworthy (at least to me) that a floating point package is included even the input to-and the output from-the trig functions are both integers.

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Propeller: SPIN, C, C++, GCC. Future of Spin Tool vs. SimpleIDE?

August 18, 2013, 1:52 pm
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I'm unsure of differences in languages listed. When should I use C vs C++? Why Spin over C?

I've used Spin Tool and Simple IDE. Seems last few years was examples in SPin Tool and now are in Simple What of above will continue to be supported? (Will Simple IDE evolve to handle SPIN and then Spin Tool die?)
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BlocklyProp Client Error

April 6, 2018, 5:27 pm
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Hey guys,
I'm trying to get blocklyprop running on my sons computer. I'm having problems with the client. When I run it I get an error "BlocklyPropClient returned -1".

System Windows 7 Pro 64bit
Does the client need SP1? I am having problems getting SP1 to install.
I have tried Blocklyprop client 32 and 64 bit. No luck on either.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Shawn
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